Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite

Yufeng Zhēnjūn's words brought a flicker of delight to both Wei Lingtáo and Wei Lingyue's eyes. This was clearly good news.

Three more slots might not sound like much, but to the Wei family, it meant three additional disciples with the potential to become valuable assets.

Yufeng Zhēnjūn's promise made it clear—so long as the disciples selected by the Wei family didn't have major flaws in character, they would be accepted into the sect. Haoran Sect would even extend some protection, ensuring they weren't bullied.

This was far more lenient than the general recruitment happening in Kunyu City. For the city-wide selection, the first round would assess spiritual root quality. Even if a candidate passed that stage, they'd still face additional tests at Haoran Sect. Those who failed would be sent back. There was no guarantee of acceptance.

Wei Lingtáo immediately stood and cupped his hands. "Many thanks to Yufeng Zhēnjūn for thinking of the Wei family. Please, allow us to host you for the day. I'll personally deliver word to the city lord regarding the disciple selection."

Yufeng Zhēnjūn didn't object. These people wouldn't dare slack off. Given that the Wei family had shown proper respect over the years, he was willing to give them this bit of face.

"Then I'll trouble the family head," he said with a nod.

"You honor us too much. It is our Wei family who should thank you for your favor," Wei Lingtáo replied quickly, not daring to accept the compliment. Wei Lingyue also chimed in with agreement.

The brothers then personally led Yufeng Zhēnjūn to a separate courtyard for rest before heading to the city lord's estate.

Word of Haoran Sect's expanded recruitment quickly spread throughout Kunyu City. Every influential family began combing through their talented juniors, preparing to send them to the selection the following day.

Feng Family, Council Hall

Feng Jiaqing was among the first to receive the news. He immediately summoned the family elders to discuss which disciples should be sent to participate.

Unlike what one might expect, the elders didn't get swept up in the excitement. Instead, they calmly analyzed the pros and cons.

"This is indeed a rare opportunity, but we can't send all our elite disciples," one elder said.

"Exactly. Our family needs strong cultivators to sustain itself. We don't have much influence in Haoran Sect either. The Wei family is different. They've sent disciples to the sect for generations. We'd be going in owing them a favor."

"And once our disciples are in the sect, they'll likely need to band together with the Wei family's juniors. That has both pros and cons. People don't offer protection for nothing. Our children may end up subordinate, compromising themselves in various ways. It could even harm their cultivation."

Another elder, more suspicious by nature, added, "And the way this recruitment came out of nowhere... doesn't it seem strange?"

He wasn't wrong. In truth, Haoran Sect's sudden expansion in Kunyu City did have something to do with the Feng family. More specifically, it stemmed from Wei Yunxi. The Fengs had intercepted a "variable" that the sect originally had its eyes on. That forced the ancestor of Haoran Sect to cast a wider net and dispatch Yufeng Zhēnjūn to personally oversee recruitment.

Of course, this couldn't be revealed publicly. Officially, Yufeng Zhēnjūn was just passing by and offering to escort the Wei family's children back to the sect, picking up a few extras along the way as a favor. It served three purposes at once.

With the information they had, the Feng family analyzed the situation and made a unanimous decision: they would send two elite disciples to Haoran Sect. As for the side branches, any disciple who wished to go could try their luck. Whether they passed the tests would depend on their own ability.

The Sun and Liu families in Kunyu City came to the same conclusion. Given how sudden all of this was, none of them were willing to risk weakening their base.

Now another issue landed on Feng Jiaqing's desk—what to do about Wei Yunxi.

Given Haoran Sect's generosity toward the Wei family, it was likely they would bring more than the original five. And although Wei Yunxi had been excluded for lacking the talent of Wei Yunqing, she was still stronger than most of the Wei family's juniors who hadn't even reached Qi Gathering.

There was a high chance she'd be included in the final list.

Feng Jiaqing had already made arrangements with Wei Lingyue. Since her exclusion had been Wei Lingyue's "reluctant decision," Feng Jiaqing had offered to take Wei Yunxi in and train her himself.

The Feng family had decided to bring Wei Yunxi over to study alchemy. While she only had three spiritual roots, her aptitude for alchemy was surprisingly promising.

This arrangement benefited both sides. Wei Lingyue certainly had no objections. In his eyes, Wei Yunxi was still a Wei—if she could master alchemy, she'd become an asset to the family. He was more than happy to let the Fengs invest in her.

Everything had been decided. But now, things had changed.

So Feng Jiaqing went to consult the Feng family's ancestor, Feng Feng.

Feng Feng stroked his beard and sighed. "So this is fate. It seems we won't be able to keep Yunxi after all."

"You mean..." Feng Jiaqing trailed off.

"Let's see what the Wei family decides. If they want to send her to Haoran Sect, we can't stop them. But if they insist on keeping her within the family, we'll stick to our original plan and have her learn alchemy here."

"Understood, Ancestor."

After that, Feng Jiaqing had Feng Xiu deliver the message to Wei Yunxi.

Wei Yunxi's heart felt strange when she read it. It was like trying to find shelter before the rain—she had run fast, but still failed to outrun the storm.

Seeing her young miss looking dejected, Feng Xiu wasn't sure what to say. From her perspective, either path was a good one. Someone had her back no matter what.

Wei Yunxi rubbed her chubby little cheeks and said softly, "Sister Feng, I understand Uncle's message. I want to be alone for a while. Please don't let anyone disturb me."

"Yes, Miss."

Once the defensive array was up, Wei Yunxi climbed into bed and sprawled out like a starfish. Her thoughts were in chaos. Knowing Wei Lingyue's character, she figured he would definitely send her to Haoran Sect.

She needed advice.

So she entered the group chat space once again.

As her consciousness entered, the dim light screen brightened and displayed a system message.

Fleeting Cloud has entered the chat group. Currently online.

Wei Yunxi hesitated for a moment, then typed a message.

[Fleeting Cloud]: I had a prophetic dream. If I enter the sect, something bad will happen. What should I do?

[Tribal Warrior]: How bad are we talking?

[Fleeting Cloud]: I'll be someone else's stepping stone.

[Star Trek]: Then don't go.

[Survival is the Ultimate Truth]: Why not go? Just crush anyone who tries to use you! You can't run forever!

[Ox-Head Horse-Face]: Sounds like you've got good fortune. Since you had a prophetic dream, you can avoid the traps. Just go.

[Ethereal Grace]: The moment you dreamed of the future, you changed it. You're no longer destined to become someone's stepping stone. You are the variable now. If you're fated to be a pawn, then take the board and shatter it.